India calls attack on Indian-flagged ship near Oman ‘unacceptable’

The Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday condemned the attack on an Indian-flagged ship off the coast of Oman, calling the incident “unacceptable” and expressing concern over continued attacks on commercial shipping and civilian mariners in the region. The MEA confirmed that all Indian crew members aboard the vessel were safe and thanked Omani authorities for rescuing them after the incident.

In an official statement, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India strongly opposed attacks targeting commercial vessels and innocent civilian crew members. The statement said India reiterated that commercial shipping, freedom of navigation, and maritime commerce should not be endangered or disrupted. However, the ministry did not specify who was responsible for carrying out the attack.

The incident occurred amid heightened tensions in West Asia and continued security concerns around the Strait of Hormuz, a critical international maritime route for global energy supplies and commercial trade. Multiple India-bound LPG tankers reportedly continued crossing the Strait of Hormuz over the past 24 hours despite the prevailing security situation in the region.

According to officials, two foreign-flagged LPG carriers transporting cooking gas to India recently completed transit through the strait. One of them, the Marshall Islands-flagged vessel Symi, carrying around 20,000 tonnes of liquid propane and butane, is headed toward Deen Dayal Port in Kandla with a crew comprising eight Ukrainians and thirteen Filipinos. Another Vietnam-flagged vessel, NV Sunshine, carrying LPG cargo, also completed transit and is proceeding toward New Mangalore port.

Officials stated that the movement of ships through the region was taking place with coordination among the Directorate General of Shipping and the ministries of external affairs, defence, and petroleum and natural gas. Authorities also confirmed that thirteen India-flagged ships are currently present in the Persian Gulf awaiting passage through the conflict-affected maritime corridor.